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In 1973 the world was awed by the publication of Rendezvous With Rama. The mesmerizing tale of an alien starship that had entered our solar system, it went on to sell more than a million copies and to sweep the Hugo, Nebula and Campbell Memorial awards. Yet as Rama left our view we were haunted by the novel's final statement that "the Ramans d... more »o everything by threes".

Now the Ramans have finally returned, in a sequel with a scope and vision even grander than the original.

Decades have passed since Commander Norton and his crew met with the enormous alien ship dubbed Rama and declared it an intelligent robot with no interest in the creatures of our solar system. In those years the world has undergone dramatic changes - from the wild prosperity immediately following the Rama visit to the cataclysm of the Great Chaos, also spurred by Rama. And then, near the dawn of the twenty-third century, a spacecraft is identified hurtling across our solar system. A crew of a dozen is assembled to rendezvous with the massive ship. And mankind has a second date with destiny.

Some of the best and brightest minds on Earth are assembled to intersect with Rama II just inside the orbit of Venus. Among them are the brilliant engineer Richard Wakefield, Scientist Shigeru Takagishi (author of The Atlas of Rama), heroic life science officer Nicole des jardins, stern commander in chief Valeriy Borzov, and the duplicitous video journalist Francesca Sabatini. But even though the crew is equipped with every piece of information that is known about Raman technology and culture, there is nothing that can prepare them for what they will encounter on board. For while Rama II appears to be much like it's predecessor, the crew will discover startling - perhaps even deadly- differences. A Science Fiction book club copy« less